Appointment of First Onsite Mental Health First Aider

We are proud to announce that Anita Jeremy, Sellafield Administrator at Frank’s Portlock has added to her training portfolio in becoming Franks Portlock’s first, trained mental health first aider.

The training, ran by renowned mental health charity, Mind covers all aspects of mental health training in recognising issues associated with mental health, teaching attendees how to approach people within the workplace, and how to be approached by employees as they encourage conversations around the topic.

In the UK, just 13% of employees say they feel comfortable talking about mental health illness at work, with 89% of those with mental health problems reporting an impact on their working life. At Franks Portlock, with a predominantly male workforce, this training has been encouraged by management to provide valuable support for those who may be less likely to talk about their mental health, and to maintain the company’s commitment in supporting the workforce as much as possible.

As Franks Portlock’s first mental health first-aider across the three Franks Portlock sites, Anita took the course primarily for the construction side of the business, to be trained in being able to support workers and their mental health in adopting the training course’s main principle to “listen and be non-judgmental”.

With this, Anita adds to her training qualifications of being an emergency first-aider, and in recently becoming ‘West Cumbria Carers Champion’. Anita has commended Franks Portlock on their encouragement and willing to back her training as she sets out to cover more areas of support for workers.

On taking the mental health first-aider training, Anita said: “The training wasn’t just beneficial to how I can help those I work with; I think the training is important for the wider understanding of mental health in general. It has given me a great perspective both in the workplace and outside of it of how people can suffer without support and how anyone who takes this training is able to offer help.

“I took the course with 9 others from different sectors, in a range of job titles. Since completing the course, we’ve created an online group where we can regularly communicate to share ideas on best practice, and different approaches and circumstances we experience. This gives me great support as I work to support others and help as many people as possible.”

James New, Regional Manager at Franks Portlock Sellafield, said: “I know how important this training is for the wider company and for Anita personally as a professional goal. It’s important to Franks Portlock that we are mindful of the potential mental health issues employees can experience, and we pride ourselves on providing a safe and supportive working environment.

“We hope that in being the first at Franks Portlock to take this course, Anita can inspire others to take the training as we aim to bring greater awareness to the importance of mental wellbeing in the workplace.”

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